Clairton “Drug Runner” Sentenced to More than 2 Years in Prison

PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Clairton, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 28 months’ imprisonment, followed by six years’ supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.

United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Terrence Wade, 49.

According to information presented to the court at the time he entered a guilty plea, Wade was a "runner" for his codefendants, Skyler Carter and Courtney Carter, and at their instruction regularly made deliveries of heroin and crack cocaine, as well as collected payment from Carter’s customers. Wade acknowledged that he was responsible for the distribution of at least 28 grams of cocaine base and at least 20 grams of heroin in the Clairton, Pennsylvania area. Wade suffered from long-standing mental health issues and a crack cocaine condition, and the court stated that it considered those factors in imposing sentence. Wade is the eighth of 21 defendants charged in the conspiracy to be sentenced.

Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the multi-agency investigation of this case, which also included the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, and the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.